Point Lobos Natural Reserve, California
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is just south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, at the north end of the Big Sur coast of the Pacific Ocean. It has been called "the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world" and is considered a crown jewel in the California state park system. Point Lobos contains a number of hiking trails, many next to the ocean, and a smaller number of beaches. The Point Lobos marine protected areas provide shelter to a wide range of fish, invertebrates, birds, and marine mammals. Point Lobos is one of only two places where the Monterey Cypress can be found in the wild.